Can a new model of Muslim womanhood be achieved without redefining masculinity? Fahime Farahmandpur, head of the Women’s Cultural and Social Council, believes it cannot, calling for the development of a “third model of men” to accompany the evolving role of women.
The head of the Women’s Cultural and Social Council emphasized at the Culture Governance Conference that the realization of the third model of a Muslim woman requires redefining the role of men and designing a new model of governance.
The Supreme Leader’s Vision: Guidance for the Second Step of the Revolution
According to Jahanbanou from ISNA, Fahime Farahmandpur, the head of the Family and Women’s Cultural and Social Council, speaking at the Culture Governance Conference on the 40th anniversary of the formation of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, held at Shahid Beheshti University, referred to the emphasis of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution on the importance of the path traveled in the second step of the Revolution, stating: Paying attention to the greatness of the path traveled, the continuation of the path ahead, and the balance between past achievements and the future are among the points emphasized by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
She stated that the Women’s Cultural and Social Council is the oldest affiliated council of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council and has had hundreds of resolutions so far, adding: I prefer to focus on key and necessary points for the second step of the Revolution instead of focusing solely on past achievements. Governance needs a specific model. Since we see ourselves in the field of war and conflict of competing discourses, it is necessary to design a reliable model for civilizational governance in the area of women and family.
The Challenge of Defining the “Third Model”: Navigating between Westernization and Conservatism
Farahmandpur continued: We are facing a serious challenge in the field of women; we must have a clear demarcation between Westernization and conservatism. To this end, we need to design a precise discourse that has the ability to confront these two currents. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution has mentioned the third model of a Muslim woman. Although these demarcations have been made in some parts, in the second step of the Revolution it is necessary to define and consolidate these borders with more precision.
She added: It is often thought that the main audience of this council is women, but my experience of more than three decades of activity in this field has shown that the realization of the third model of a Muslim woman is not possible without designing a new model for men. A man who cannot distinguish between a conservative woman and a Westernized woman cannot play an effective role in this model. Therefore, we must achieve a new model of governance in this regard.
Farahmandpur concluded: I hope that in the second step of the Islamic Revolution, conditions will be created so that the country’s governance system can create sustainable growth by supporting women and families, and turn them into one of the driving forces in confronting opposing and rival currents in the future civilizational war.
From: ISNA